Two boys have pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of a partially-sighted 85-year-old woman who died after being mugged by them in west London.

Paula Castle, 85, fell to the ground after she was robbed in an alleyway off Oldfield Lane South in Greenford, on 19 November. She died the next day.

The youths, both 15, will appear at the Old Bailey on 9 May for sentencing.

They used the money and bank card in her bag to buy fast food and to charge their mobile phones, the court heard.

The pair, who cannot be named for legal reasons, also admitted robbing Mrs Castle of her handbag and the robbery of a second woman, 75-year-old Rose Mohamed, the day after the fatal attack.

'Entirely defenceless'

The teenagers had been due to go on trial charged with murder, but their guilty pleas to manslaughter were accepted by the prosecution.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said the pensioner told police she was pushed from behind which caused her to fall forwards and strike her face on the pavement, leading to fatal head injuries.

"This is a grave case. These two defendants accosted an 85-year-old woman, Paula Castle, in an alleyway in Greenford in order to rob her of what transpired to be a small amount of money and a bank card which was used in order to buy some fast food and to charge mobile phones," he said.

"In reality this is a case, it would appear, whereby these two defendants have jointly used force against an 85-year-old woman who was entirely defenceless placing her further at risk of serious injury.

"But rather than intending to cause really serious injury, they simply did not care what happened to her, and in these circumstances we have taken the view to accept the pleas."